The Birth of a Child
by ArtistAtPlay
Summary: Loki anxiously awaits the birth of his first child. This story is post Thor 2 and takes place in the same canon as my other story One More Chance to Live, but it will work as a standalone story too. It's a one-shot. LokixSigyn.


Loki sat down in a chair by the hearth. Well no, Loki collapsed into the chair by the hearth, his legs no longer able to support him after hours of pacing around his living room. His elbows crashed onto his knees and he buried his face in his hands muffling a groan.

"It's about time you sat down. I think you were starting to wear a groove in the floor."

Loki let his hands fall to his lap, but didn't bother to straighten his posture as he sent a glare to the speaker was who sitting in a chair a bit to his left. At least he tried to. He was exhausted and only managed to look slightly annoyed.

The man who had spoken was Sigyn's Uncle Roan. He was Loki's uncle now too, or was he his Uncle-In-Law? Was that a thing? Loki was to out of it to dwell on the thought. Since the death of Sigyn's father, whom Loki had never met, Roan and his wife Jarldis were the closest people to parents Sigyn had.

Roan was a man of average height. He was just a few inches shorter than Loki. He had short black hair with specks of grey and a short neatly trimmed beard that framed his mouth. He was a nobleman and was accordingly dressed in fine clothes. Although, tonight his clothing looked slightly disheveled as he had re-dressed himself in a hurry, in the middle of the night, when Loki and Sigyn's servant Elsa had run to tell them that Sigyn had gone into labor.

Any response to the man's statement Loki may have had died on his lips as strangled cry of pain came from the bedroom just down the short hallway. He winced.

"Does it always take this long?" He asked. "It must be nearly dawn."

"It has only been a few hours, and I'm no expert, but I believe it does, especially with the first child."

"What if something's wrong?" He said as he heard yet another cry of pain.

"I'm sure they would inform us if something were happening."

"But what if –"

Roan cut him off mid-sentence by leaning forward and placing a hand on Loki's shoulder supportively. Loki was surprised as Roan had never seemed particularly fond of him and gestures like this were almost unheard of from the man. Actually it was much more usual for Roan to be cold towards Loki.

"Everything is going to be fine." He said and Loki really didn't know what to make of it. "Dagny is the best midwife in the entire town, and one of the best in all of Vanaheim. Sigyn also has Jarldis and Elsa with her. She couldn't be in better hands."

He lifted his hand off Loki's shoulder and sat back in his chair. Loki didn't have anything to say. He just nodded and turned his head to stare into the fire burning low in the hearth. His mind drifted back to the events that had led him here.

_After the battle in Svartalfheim he had stayed for a few months with Lord Frey. He was Frigga's brother and Loki felt confident that he would not go to Odin with his secret. He had stayed there only a few weeks learning, from Frey, the customs of Vanaheim so he could better blend in when he left. When that day came Frey gave Loki some supplies including clothing, food, gold, and a horse. He also told Loki that he could come back for a time if he ever found himself in need of a roof over his head. Loki said his thanks, but so far had not needed to take him up on his offer._

_He spent the next few months traveling his mother's homeland. He slept in inns when the weather was poor under the stars when it was good. He mostly hunted small game for his food, but would occasionally stop at a tavern if he had the money. _

_He had liked this life. It was simple but not dull. He could do what he wanted when he wanted without answering to anybody. If he was hungry he would eat, if he was tired he would sleep, and if he wanted to read or practice his magic, he could do so without anyone looking down on him for it._

_On his travels he would often happen across various plants that he knew had medicinal or magical properties. He would add them to his growing collection to prepare and sell them when possible. Occasionally when the opportunity arose he would earn some money as a sword-for-hire. That was how he met Sigyn. He had seen a flier posted in the local tavern saying that a local woman was looking to hire a small group of men as bodyguards for an upcoming trip to and back from a town a day's ride away. They were offering 20 gold coins in payment. Loki took the job expecting to simply earn his money and leave, but as it so often happened in his life, things didn't go as he had planned._

_The traveling party was composed of six people. Loki, two other bodyguards, Sigyn, her Aunt Jarldis, and a man named Theoric. At first Loki had assumed that Theoric was just another bodyguard. Theoric took offence to the fact that Loki had mistaken him for a 'lowly mercenary' and made a point to tell him that he was, in fact, the Lady Sigyn's betrothed and not a part of 'the common rabble'. Loki chose not to comment and was as surprised as everyone else when some extremely hot spices found their way into Theoric's dinner that night. _

_Sigyn as it turned out was nothing like her betrothed. She made a point to get to know the names of the three men she hired for the journey and to thank them each in turn. She had no aptitude for magic herself, but she was still able to hold a conversation with Loki about his studies and abilities. She was enthusiastic when he offered to demonstrate a few small spells, and she didn't press him for information about his past when he shied away from the topic. By the end of their two day voyage Loki was quite sure that Sigyn's and Theoric's marriage would not be a happy one and divorce was a purely midgardian concept. Why not save them from their fate?_

_He really wasn't sure what he had been thinking at the time. Maybe he was just bored. He had been known to do some surprising things as a result of boredom. All he knew was that Sigyn could not marry Theoric. It just took a little trickery and his plan was in action. _

_Theoric was delayed from attending the wedding leaving Loki to take on his form and stand next to Sigyn himself. The wedding itself was uneventful, but as soon as the marriage vows were said and finalized Theoric burst into the room. Loki let his disguise fall and there was a collective horrified gasp from the onlookers as well as shouts of outrage. He tried to ignore the look of betrayal from Sigyn._

_Theoric challenged him go a holmgang, and Loki really couldn't fault him for that. He was well within his rights, but that didn't mean Loki went easy on him. No, Loki may not be a true Asgardian, but he had lived there nearly his entire life and had received the best weapons training available. He was never as good as Thor and his friends, but he was far better than Theoric._

_The battle ended quickly with Loki the victor. Theoric had lost his claim to Sigyn's hand. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. The cleric who had married Loki and Sigyn spoke up saying that as Sigyn had been deceived he would not hold her to the vows she spoke. They could start the ceremony over with the proper man. _

_Loki had been furious. This wasn't supposed to happen. Marriage vows were meant to be final! How do all of his plans always seem to fail? But to his (and everyone else's) surprise Sigyn declined his offer. She didn't look happy, oh not at all, but she said that she had made a vow and she would keep it._

That had been nearly a year ago. He was happy to say Sigyn didn't stay mad at him forever. The wedding was still sore topic between them, but as she said 'Dwelling in the past prevents you from moving toward the future.' They both worked hard to create a stable and happy relationship. It was difficult at first, but it was slowly becoming easier for both of them. They could laugh in each other's company and enjoyed spending time together. Trust was slowly growing between them, but it was still a fragile thing.

Loki had told Sigyn some things about his past but not all. He had told her he had a falling out with his father and after the death of his mother he left home. He told her they were nobles, but not that they were Asgardian. When he mentioned having a brother with whom he had a strained but not broken relationship, Sigyn suggested he contact him. Family was very important to her and she couldn't stand the idea of quarreling brothers if there was a chance to fix the relationship. All the same, Loki refused saying that his life was here now. It was best not to dwell in the past after all.

And now here he was, in the living room of the house that used to belong to Sigyn's father, but now belonged to them. He was sitting in his chair, his feet tapping anxiously on the floor and his hands gripping his arms too tightly as he waited for his first child to be born

"I don't think I've ever seen you so fidgety before." Roan said breaking the silence. Well, the partial silence. The sounds of pain from the bedroom made birthing room never stopped.

"I have good reasons for being fidgety!" snapped Loki.

"Of course you do. I wasn't insulting you. I was simply making an observation."

Loki sighed and forced himself to calm down. "I wish there was something I could do. I am not used to being idle."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. Once the baby does arrive all you free time will vanish."

"At least then the waiting would be over."

"I'm sure it won't be long now."

Loki had no response so he just kept quiet. After a few minutes Roan spoke up again.

"Time might go faster if we talked." He said. When Loki stayed silent he continued, "I'm sure it's no secret, but after what you did at Sigyn's wedding I have never particularly liked you. Nor do I like the fact that you refuse to talk about your past. Things have a habit of catching up with people and I don't want Sigyn caught up in whatever you are hiding from. She may not be a blood relative of mine, but I have known her since she was a small child. She is like a daughter to me."

"Can we not do this now?" Loki groaned exasperated. This was more like the Roan he was used to.

Roan just smiled in return. "What I mean to say is, I believe I may be starting to form a better opinion of you."

"Oh?"

"Indeed. I'll be honest I never really cared for Theoric either. I suppose I don't believe any man is good enough for her, and I'm not changing my mind about that, but with the exception of your wedding you have treated Sigyn well. I can see she is at ease around you and even happy. I used to wonder if you actually cared about her, but –" he paused when Loki winced again as another wail of pain came from the birthing room. This time it was louder than the others. "But," he continued "I can see that if nothing else, you do care about her wellbeing."

"I appreciate the sentiment" said Loki, "but I'm really not in any mood to-"

"OOOWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAA"

Loki jolted into a standing position almost before the sound of the infant's cry fully registered in his mind. He had started to take a step towards the sound when a hand around his wrist stopped him in his tracks. He whorled around, his every instinct screaming for him to fight off the force that was keeping him from the crying infant.

"Take it easy." Roan said, releasing Loki's arm after seeing the fierce look in his eyes. "You can't go in just yet. Give them a minute to clean everything up and for Sigyn to gather herself again. Someone will get you when they are ready."

Loki didn't want to do that. Loki really really didn't want to do that, but he knew that Roan had a point, so he forced himself to sit back down. Eventually the crying quieted down, but Loki's mind continued to race.

The Baby! The baby was here! Now what would he do? Could he be a good father? His life was going to change so much. He had a family again. A family! A child! Was the baby a boy or girl? Dagny had offered to tell them, but they decided to let it be a surprise. In this moment Loki regretted that. He wanted to know! He wanted to see it! What did the baby look like? Would it look like him? Suddenly he felt a jolt of terror. What if it looked like him! How he really looked. He had had the thought before, but now it seemed more real. If the baby was born Jotun blue, everyone would know his secret. What would happen then? Would they cast him out? Reject him now that he was finally beginning to make his peace? What would happen to the child? No that can't be the case. He would have heard something by now. Some cry of outrage, but for the first time all night it was quiet. There were just the quiet murmurings of women's voices from the birthing room. What was going on in there? Were they almost done? How much longer?

Loki was drawn out of his thoughts at the sound of a door opening. An older woman stepped into the hallway. It was Dagny, the midwife. At this point in her life, her long hair was more silver than brown. She had pulled it up into a bun to keep it from getting into her way during the birthing process. She was currently drying her now clean hands on a towel.

"You can go in now." She said. It was a bit pointless really, since Loki was already crossing the room's threshold.

He paused seeing Sigyn who was sitting, propped up by several pillows. She was wearing a thin nightgown and was covered by a sheet pulled up to her now smaller stomach. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but a few strands had fallen free and were plastered to her face with sweat. There were dark circles under her brown eyes and she looked exhausted. Loki thought she was beautiful. He glanced at the small bundle of blankets in her arms and his breath caught in his throat.

He was only vaguely aware of Dagny, Jarldis, and Elsa moving around the room as he walked over to the bed and slowly lowered himself down so he wouldn't disturb Sigyn too much. She met his eyes and smiled.

"Your son. Nari Lokison." She said and gently handed the baby over to him. Loki tentatively took the bundle into his arms.

"Lokison" he whispered to himself in awe as he looked at his son's face for the first time. Nari had a messy patch of black hair on the top of his head and, much to Loki's relief, pale peach skin that was still a bit off color after only a quick clean up. His eyes were closed. Loki didn't know if he was sleeping or simply couldn't open his eyes yet. He carefully adjusted his hold so he could stroke the infant's tiny cheek with his finger. When he did Nari opened his mouth and moved his head slightly, instinctively trying to suckle anything near his face. Loki had once said that satisfaction wasn't in his nature, but he now knew just how wrong he had been.

"Sigyn," he said "He's perfect." Loki couldn't stop his voice from wavering. Sigyn reached out a hand and layed it on Loki's arm.

"Of course he is." She said in a tired but kind voice "We made him."

It was in that moment that Loki knew this was going to be his life. He would make this work. He would tell Sigyn everything. He would not make Odin's mistakes. For once in his life he would be honest. He would tell her about Laufey, Odin, Midgard, everything. Not right now. He would not ruin this moment, but soon he would tell her soon. They were a family now, and he would make this work. So many things in his life had fallen apart, but not this. Loki would not lose this. He smiled and handed Nari back to Sigyn, then bent down and kissed her forehead. She smiled back at him. Yes, this he could have.

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Trivia:

-Elsa usually lives with her own family (her parents, two brothers, and two sisters) , but had been staying with Loki and Sigyn for the past two weeks because Sigyn was so close to her due date they wanted her on hand.

-Dagny is the same midwife mentioned in my story One More Chance to Live.

-Odin is not dead in this story. You can either pretend that the 'Odin was Loki scene' of Thor 2 didn't happen, or that Loki impersonating Odin was just his little way of saying goodbye to Thor without really saying goodbye. (I prefer the second option)

-I'm loosely basing my characterization of Lord Frey on Scyllaya's portrayal of him from his/her fanfiction _Bend Around the Wind_, which you should read if you haven't already.

Author's Notes:

Feel free to go read the base story 'One More Chance to Live'. Make sure to leave a review, both on that one and this one. What did you think of the story? Do you have any suggestions for future stores? Let me know what you thought. I love feedback. :D


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